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Ended up going with a BritPart HD Track Rod kit. Same price as the TerraFirma kit and both are stronger than factory kits. The representative told me that unlike the factory kit where the steering damper is welded onto the rod, this BritPart kit comes with a special harness for easy bolt on installation of the steering damper. Not a big deal but good to know. Its worth waiting a little longer for a HD kit vs the facotry kits. Just my opinion. Thanks for all the input guys.

DA5509 Disco II HD Steering Rods W/Tie Rod Ends

 

I picked up my kit from Keith at Rover Tracks (currently not providing parts)...he recommend stock tie rods ends.

Anyone hear or a tie rod end failing due to strength? Is there any reason for HD ends if it isnt a full blown rock crawler?

The steering damper clamp is bolt on so you can adjust your steering wheel to center then bolt on the damper. Rover tracks was welded on...took me some screwing around to get the wheel lined up.

Rover Tracks drag link (back side) was the only one out there that i could find with a bend in it so that it wasnt any lower than the axle. My stock one took some beating on rocks.

 

No there is no need for a HD track rod if you are not hard core rock crawling.

The steering damper is not even needed, it is for offroad only, it dampens the steering when you bounce the front wheels off of a boulder.

 

Spike for the first time I have to respectfully disagree with you on your statement here. Now Im not saying Im an expert on the matter here but I know from personal experience that a failed steering damper can cause your vehicle to vibrate VIOLENTLY, especially whenever you drive over any uneven terrain (pot holes, small cracks in the road etc). Back when I had my Jeep Grand Cherokee (no off-roading and no mods) the steering damper failed and every few moments the whole vehicle would start shaking so much that I had to slow the vehicle down considerably to make it stop. Id hate to see a vehicle experience these symptoms while driving 65 MPH on the highway......

One online source says this about the purpose of steering dampers: "Road hazards such as a blowout or an impact with debris can create a violent reaction in the steering wheel. Steering stabilizers prevent this jerking action. By absorbing the impact of unexpected jerking, the stabilizers will also prolong the life of ball joints and other components in the steering system. Much like regular shocks that absorb sudden impact on the suspension, steering stabilizers absorb sudden impact on the steering system"

Spike you once said something to the effect "LR put it on your Disco for a reason, so use it" - I think the discussion was genuine spark plugs vs Bosh and other brands but I think the same can be applied to this conversation. LR installed a steering damper on our vehicles for a reason, better to keep it that way rather then suggest someone remove it because its only for off-roading. Still further I wou0ld not trust a OEM spec steering damper to hold up to extreme off-roading such as rock crawling. You would likely have to re-locate the damper and replace OEM with a high performance off-road grade damper or even a dual damper setup.

That said you do NOT need to purchase a heavy duty track rod kit, a genuine or OEM spec track rod kit will do just fine for normal use. The main reason I chose to upgrade to the HD track rod kit is because its stronger, improves steering response and is coated with a zinc layer to help increase corrosion resistance - which is a big deal here in New England. Most importantly its about the same price as the genuine track rod kit so your not wasting your money

 

I'm not quite sure he meant that "since you don't wheel, you can take the damper off." I think he was talking about HD dampers.

And I'd have to disagree here. Not having a steering damper does not mean that the next pothole you drive over will send you careening into a ditch. I've driven several vehicles without steering dampers on them. My dad owned a 2000 Ford F-250 a while back. If you look at the front axle, you'll see the damper hangs way the hell down. He smashed it up on a rock when he was hunting, decided it was a liability, took the destroyed one off, and left it. I'm not saying this was a good decision, but we drove that truck for another eleven years, including many road trips, without a steering damper. We never died. Not even a little bit!

However, It did make the truck drive a bit different. If you hit a large enough bump, the wheel would react sharply. Eventually, it actually completely destroyed his steering box. So yes, you should keep your steering damper on, but you will not necessarily cause the vehicle to shake to pieces just driving down the road without it. Even driving down washboard gravel roads, I never had a problem. The wheel would sure buck a lot more from the impacts, but never enough that I was in fear of losing control.

 

Cars, before the days of almost everything being rack and pinion, don't have steering dampeners, and my 1972 dodge dart never shook violently going over bumps. Most likely the steering dampener on your jeep was masking some other part that was worn out.

 

Of course you will, when you base your opinion on ehow.com.
If your steering components are knackered then yeah, a steering damper will help hide that fact. If they are in good shape you don't need one for everyday driving.
Your personal experience seems to be based on a Jeep with a knackered steering system. Either that, or Jeep steering totally sucks from the factory, which I seriously doubt.
For the first 25+ years of my Land Rover experience none of them had steering dampers.

 

Vehicles have come a long way since the 70's. My Jeep was a 1994 with 130k. "masking some other part worn out" Nope not really buddy. Did some research online and learned about the notorious "death wobble" which plagued Jeeps. Afew possibilities could cause the death wobble but the most common is a worn out steering damper. My solution? Replaced the steering damper and guess what? Death wobble and all vibrations went away for good! Easy fix.

Again Im not an expert here - none of us really are, most just rely on biased opinions rather than facts. I just learned from personal experience that a worn steering damper can create some serious problems. But Im open to the possibility that the Disco was designed differently and better for the matter vs the Jeep. Perhaps the Disco can operate better than a Jeep even with a worn or lack thereof steering damper - I dont know because I havnt tried it. But like I said before, LR put it there for a reason and Im sticking to it.

 

Not trying to pick a fight here, but just because all the vibrations went away when you put on a new damper doesn't mean that there wasn't another problem it was covering up.

Like I said, just saying.

And I've run plenty of modern 4x4s without a damper. Driving without a steering damper does not cause a death wobble.